


Through the Eyes of a Fly on the Wall

by cecilkirk



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Angst, M/M, Trohley - Freeform, pretending to date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:16:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6170539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecilkirk/pseuds/cecilkirk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt: things you said that I wasn't meant to hear</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the Eyes of a Fly on the Wall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sarajevo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarajevo/gifts).



The air between them is stiff and repelling.

Even after months of fake dating, there was awkwardness. Even after being friends for years, they still fell quiet and timid at this scenario. Andy drives them home from the wedding in silence, slicing through midnight air with ease and secrecy. Joe can't look at him, and when he forces himself to it's only terse glances that bring knotting nausea.

Joe had never been one to find weddings particularly moving, but being at Patrick's made him denounce everything he'd believed. He suddenly found himself wanting romance, craving it even, desperate to be as happy as Patrick had been and now would be forever. Every comment made to Joe about his relationship with Andy ("you two are cute together", "how long?", "really? you're both Patrick's friends?") was answered with glittering happiness and bright smiles, but now he was left with the bitter residue of having lied, lied so often and so deeply.

He catches Andy worry his bottom lip between his teeth briefly. Joe's ribs ache.

Andy pulls up to the apartment complex. That's how all of this had started--they shared an apartment, and one offhanded comment from Andy to the pizza delivery guy just to get a discount had begun the running prevarication. Free money was free money, and neither was opposed to a little hand holding and coziness for cheaper food. After all, they could come home and laugh about it. And they had, for a while. But now, they didn't laugh about it anymore.

They didn't talk about anything anymore. The last few times they'd been out, neighbors had commented on them or shot them adoring looks. Andy had walked a little further away from Joe on the street now.

But they had just been at their best friend's wedding; surely they couldn't go without bringing it up at some point. Joe hates that he wants to talk about it so much. He hates that he wants to hear Andy's voice again so desperately.

It's near one in the morning when they make it past the door. Andy heads directly to his room without a word, shutting the door behind him. Joe blinks, taken aback. Andy was never this quiet, never acted so severely.

Joe doesn't feel he's worth talking to Andy about it, so he doesn't.

He walks around aimlessly in their kitchen for a while, picking at stains and examining dirty dishes like they'll ever be important. When he does finally head to his room, he hears Andy's voice from behind the closed door.

He wishes he was made of stronger stuff than to eavesdrop, but he's not. He doesn't regret it completely.

He quickly figures out that he's talking to Patrick, congratulating him. Andy laughs, and Joe feels sick; but hears Andy lower his voice, and he realizes he's not meant to hear what Andy's about to say. He presses his ear flush against the door.

"I just...I wanted it so desperately to be real," he says softly.

Joe steps back, staring at the door. _Could he really be talking about me? Could he really be referring to tonight, the last few months, to everything--?_

He blinks, not looking away. He wants Andy to come out, he wants them to talk, he wants this to be the beginning of something that could be so good and great and wonderful, but--

But he knows doing that would make Andy realize he'd been invading his privacy.

He knows doing that would hurt Andy, maybe even past the point of forgiveness.

Joe retreats to his room, slowly and gently closing the door behind him. At least now he can watch Andy with different eyes, new knowledge. He can hope; there was affirmation for his hope. Maybe it wouldn't ever lead to anything, but hope was something. He could wait and see. He'd make himself. He would wait as long as he had to, and if nothing ever happened...

At the very least, he had this moment to remember.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> inspo: ["Everything We Had" by The Academy Is...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YqYA_rbh1Q)


End file.
